A dreamy night with Mary Costa and ‘Sleeping Beauty’

Sept. 13, 2009 | 5:04 p.m.

DISNEY’S D23 EXPO

Say what you will about the Mouse House, but no Hollywood power holds onto its heritage with the fervor of the Walt Disney Co., which means a lot to the stars and artists of past classics still occasionally get the royal treatment. That happened Saturday night at the D23 Expo in Anaheim where several hundred giddy fans enjoyed a very special screening of “Sleeping Beauty” in the company of a famous princess who was wide awake and ready to embrace every one of them.

“If people get sleepy, tell them I have a prince out here who will give them a kiss,” the vivacious Mary Costa told me right before the 10:20 p.m. screening of the 1959 classic in which she gave voice to Aurora, the beauty who dozes while awaiting true love’s smooch. “This is going to be amazing. Are there really people waiting in line?”

Oh yes, there were plenty of people waiting in line. I had the pleasure of introducing the film to the crowd and the honor of doing it in the company of Costa and Floyd Norman, who in 1959 was a wide-eyed, 19-year-old newcomer to the animation department at Disney and worked with the team that brought the film’s trio of unforgettable fairies to life. Norman would go on to be an enduring contributor to the Disney film legacy and a key player working directly with Walt Disney on his last animated feature, “The Jungle Book,” released in 1967 just 10 months after the studio founder’s death. Norman is a delight to speak to, a modest man with a twinkle in his eye, and during the 20-minute chat on stage he spoke about the rare emotion of Disney films, the inspirational personality of Walt and the raw energy of an office where an animator might jump onto his desk and, wielding a ruler as a sword, slay the dragon of his own imagination.

The crowd was thrilled to hear Norman but it was Costa they had come to see. And, wow, does she deliver. After years as a motivational speaker, she knows how to work a room and use the charm of her Tennessee accent and respectful tales of Hollywood past. She started singing in public at age 6 with a performance at a church in her native Knoxville and the power of her voice would take her around the world, eventually performing at the Royal Opera House in London, New York’s Metropolitan Opera House and the Bolshoi in Moscow.

She had many fans during the years (Leonard Bernstein called her “the perfect” leading lady for “Candide”) but especially notable among them were President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy who were taken by her interpretation of “The Star-Spangled Banner.“

After that grim November day in Dallas in 1963, the president’s widow reached Costa and asked her to perform at the memorial service, an emotional honor that still gives Costa chills when she talks about it. “I just recently watched a recording of my performance, they found one and it’s at the Kennedy library now, and it’s still overwhelming for me,” Costa told me backstage.

I brought my 11-year-old daughter, Addison, to the screening and she adored Costa, as did every little girl there who was taken by the singer’s electric enthusiasm and Southern charm as well as her meticulously perfect hair, makeup and jewelry that, for a crowd expecting a princess, only adding to her aura. Costa sat with my daughter during the screening and the two of them swayed to the grand old music by the BerlinSymphony Orchestra channeling Tchaikovsky’s 1890 “Sleeping Beauty” ballet. “Every expression, every emotion that Walt wanted was there in the music of Tchaikovskyand all the colors that he needed,” Costa explained to Addie. After the screening, Costa kneeled down, put her hands on Addie’s elbows and told her to remember in life that you compete with yourself, not with others, and that you need to celebrate every success you see whether it’s yours or someone else’s.

Then Costa, now a year shy of 80, turned to a long line of grinning fans who were hoping she would sign autographs. She did just that, despite the late hour, and made each and every little girl (and big girl) feel like they had a royal visitation. That kept Costa in the building past 2 a.m. Who needs to sleep when there is princess work to be done?

What a wonderful tribute to Mary Costa & Sleeping Beauty. Great to read that 50 years later the movie and the woman who gave voice to Aurora is still entertaining/inspiring children and adults of all ages.

Geoff-
When I returned to Knoxville last night, my cousin, Andrea, told me about your "Dreamy Story." Being awakened by love's first kiss is pretty terrific, but your writing created a smile that will keep my face lifted…always. I am deeply touched and honored over your "Once Upon a Dream" story. Truly, I did not know you were going to cover the event in the press. We were all so thrilled that a writer of your stature would consent to be our host.
For me, you made the evening magical by your enthusiastic, humorous and warm attitude toward everyone you met. The golden part is that your brought your beautiful daughter, Addie, who represents the guidance that you and your wife have given her so that she can remain her unique, beautiful and expressive self. During the movie, she brought me to tears when she put her head on your shoulder for loving comfort. I felt the same way about my father.
Thank you, Geoff, for capturing the evening in such a sensitive and joyful manner. I shall never have a present on my 80th birthday that will mean more to me always than your gift.
With warmest regards and deepest admiration to you and your family,
Mary Costa

Wow. What a lovely article, and beautiful letter from Ms. Costa!! I'm loath to write after such nice sentiments, but I have to express my deep regrets that I was unable to attend, and meet such a legendary performer. (Not to mention my other favorite princess since about age two.) :)
Thank you!! :)

Mary Costa is truly a wonderful representative for Disney and the City of Knoxville. We greatly appreciate our charming Princess in the world of Opera and East Tennessee! She was Knoxville Opera's star (performing as Violetta) in its premiere performance of La Traviata in November 1978 and continues to be a star today!
Celeste Hart
Director of Development
Knoxville Opera

aptain EO, the futuristic 3-D film starring Michael Jackson, played at Disney parks from 1986 to 1998, only to fade with the pop star’s recording career.

But with Jackson’s death reigniting interest in (and sales of) his music, Walt Disney President and Chief Executive Bob Iger said he screened the film a few weeks ago “To see if there were some possibilities.”

Iger described Captain EO as a product of its time — “essentially, an extended music video.” While rudimentary by today’s entertainment standards, he said he found it “charming” and “funny, too.”

Disney is considering what to do with the film, Iger said, adding that “it’s the kind of thing that will get a fair amount of attention.”